MN: The magic man like Massaro – Okafor’s substitute record among best in Europe | OneFootball

AC Milan once again have Noah Okafor to thank after he scored a goal within two minutes of coming off the bench during yesterday’s 3-3 draw with Sassuolo.

As MilanNews recall, Okafor was deployed in the final minutes and he found himself in the right place at the right time to hammer home a loose ball deep inside the Sassuolo box after Matteo Gabbia had brought it down, levelling the game inside the final 10 minutes.

It is no coincidence that Pioli often uses him as a wildcard to change games that seem to be heading in a negative way. Of the six goals scored this season in the league by the Swiss forward, five came as a substitute.

It means that he has now moved above Luka Jovic in terms of the ranking of goals off the bench for Milan this season, and the comparisons with legendary striker Daniele Massaro continue. Below is said ranking:

5 goals: Noah Okafor (18 appearances)4 goals: Luka Jovic (14)2 goals: Christian Pulisic (4)1 goal: Chaka Traorè (2), Jan-Carlo Simic (4), Olivier Giroud (5), Samuel Chukwueze (1).

When expanding this to Serie A, only Nicolas Viola – who scored against Inter last night to earn Cagliari a draw – has netted the same number of goals as a substitute.

5 goals: Nicolas Viola (Cagliari, 13 games as a substitute), Noah Okafor (Milan, 18).4 goals: Lautaro Martinez (Inter, 1), Mbaye Niang (Empoli, 6), Jovic (Milan, 14), Davide Frattesi (Inter, 23)

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Looking into the ‘top five’ leagues in Europe, only one player surpasses the Swiss and he is an old acquaintance of Serie A: the eternal Cristhian Stuani, a 37-year-old back-up striker at Girona.

6 goals: Cristhian Stuani (Girona, 24 games as substitute)5 goals: Mohamed Daramy (Reims, 7), Gonçalo Ramos (Paris Saint-Germain, 12), Nicolas Viola (Cagliari, 13), Okafor (Milan, 18).

Having arrived for just €14m during the summer window, Okafor immediately adapted to Serie A and has shown both his versatility and also his knack for providing big moments.

Some expressed doubts about whether he could making the jump from the Austrian Bundesliga to the Italian top flight and about his injury record, yet his scoring record speaks for itself. Below are his goals off the bench: